Midsummer!

As it’s the longest day today for those of us in the northern hemisphere, Nat’s challenge for us over at Daring Cardmakers this week is to celebrate summer, bonus brownie points for inspiration from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

As it was one of the very first Shakespeare plays I saw on stage (although strictly speaking it wasn’t on stage - it was a promenade performance in a park) I decided to go that way. Titania says this to Bottom after he has been transformed and she enchanted - Bottom really isn’t very bright and since he’s sporting a donkey’s head at this point he’s not terribly handsome either. If you ignore the original context though, it just sounds like a nice thing to say to somebody!

I had a go at some lettering to make a feature of the quote (Act 3, Scene 1 if you were wondering!). I looked at lots of fonts online, sketched the large words and filled in with a pen. It's a bit wibbly but it's OK for a first attempt! The smaller words I printed out, transferred onto the card with the trusty old "scribble on the back with a pencil" method and went over with a pen so they still have a handrawn quality. I could be happier with the line spacing too but you live and learn!

I’m also playing along at Retro Rubber who currently have an “anything goes” theme - just use stamps that are older than a year.

Stamps:
T’wit T’woo by Indigo Blu (approx 2015)
Flowers from Bird Paradise by Bloom Art Stamps (2016)
Shakespear's name from Wild Flower by Crafty Secrets (approx 2009)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Latte)

Other:
Copic markers
Coloured pnecils
Fineline marker
Gold gel pen

Thanks for stopping by! We'd love to have you play along at DCM!

Come fly with me

Svenja is setting today's challenge over at Daring Cardmakers and she’d like us all to take flight. Birds, superheroes, planes, hot air balloons, helicopters... feature anything that flies on your project.

We’re lucky enough to have owls around us - there’s a tawny that we sometimes hear in our back garden although we’ve never actually seen it! Hubby has seen a barn owl at the bottom of the hill and there’s a family of little owls just up the lane. So this lovely owl stamp from a recent release at Crafty Individuals was a no-brainer for hubby’s anniversary card this year!

The berries have a touch of glitter pen on them but it’s otherwise unadorned and just the way he tends to like his cards!

Stamps:
Owl Family (Crafty Individuals)
Sentiment from Putting on the Ritz (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Watercolour

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Tim Holtz Distress ink (Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, Antique Linen, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door - used as watercolours)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide (Evergreen Bough)

Other:
MISTI (invaluable for a detailed stamp on a textured paper!)
Spica glitter pen (red)

Thanks for stopping by!

June's Elements

It's the first Friday of the month and over at Daring Cardmakers that means it's an "elemental" challenge - just choose at least three elements from the inspiration picture to kickstart your project.

I chose the soft greens from the colour palette, the fern type leaves, a skinny metallic circle (framing the flower in the inspiration) and overlapping squares.

The squares are simply the ink pads pressed directly onto the card base - I used a bit of tape to mask the lighter one at the front when I pressed the darker pad onto the card.

Supplies:
Back to Nature dies by Sizzix
Fine Frames die by Altenew
Tim Holtz Distress ink (Bundled Sage)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide (Evergreen Bough)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate) 
Versamark by Tsukineko
Perfect Pearls (Sour Apple, Green, Patina Green)
Sentiment from Say It All set by Hero Arts (retired)
Bristol Board
Silver mirror card
Dark brown card
Pinflair glue gel
Corner Chomper

Here's our inspiration picture this month, we'd love to see you play along!

Link in the chain: May

The reveal for May's Card Chain Challenge has just gone live. My card went to Jo this month and from the options on offer I used the theme of insects and the sketch.

I used an embossing folder to "stamp" the backkground - the positive side with a couple of shades of Distress ink and the negative to add the fine lines in dark brown - I didn't try precise line-up to get a slightly "off register" look.

After drawing in the charcoal pencil to fit the sketch I thought "bee line"!

Stamps:
Queen Bee (Crafty Secrets, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board 
Watercolour

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black, Pearlescent Chocolate) 
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Mustard Seed, Wild Honey)

Other:
Sizzix Texture Fade Folder (Honeycomb)
Copic markers
Charcoal pencil
Phrases I dies (Spellbinder)
Hexagon dies (X Cut)
Corner Chomper

There are still a couple of days to sign up for the June chain if you fancy it!

Secret hideaway

My turn to set the challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week. I'd like to see a card with a hidden element! You might choose to use a camouflage/eclipse sentiment with die cut words or letters, add a pocket to your card and tuck something inside, use a flap to conceal a surprise image or sentiment... what can you come up with to create a secret hideaway?

I've added a "custom giftcard" to mine - the headphones are stamped and coloured then a die cut giftcard was placed over the top and I stamped again (I find the MISTI is invaluable for jobs like this where you need precision placement). The partial image on the giftcard was coloured to match and I used a die that cuts the two notches to slot the card in to.Custom gift card information is added to the back of the card and a little greeting message written between the headphones on the base.

Stamps:
Feel the Power (Sheena Douglass)
Birthday Centers (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide (Twisted Citron)

Other:
Giftcard dies (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Copic markers
MISTI

Thanks for stopping by!

Initially speaking...

Kathy has set our challenge over at Daring Cardmakers  this week - she'd like to see the letters of this month inspiring what you use or how you make your project. For example Masking, Anniversary, Yellow - the intials spell MAY.

I used a Magazine page, Alcohol ink and Yupo paper for a surprisingly quick mixed media card.

I started with the thought of doing an underwater thing so dripped various green and blue inks onto the Yupo - you have to go with the flow to a certain extent and see what emerges. I used a bamboo skewers to dot in a little rubbing alcohol in places to create the lighter spots. The magazine page was out on my desk and the eyes wanted to be used here so the watery world will have to wait for another time!

Supplies:
Yupo paper
Alcohol inks
Rubbing alcohol 
Magazine page
Fineline marker 
Sentiment from Wild Mushrooms (Power Poppy)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Thanks for stopping by!

Time to create

Sylvia is setting our challenge over at Daring Cardmakers  this week and her theme is “a moment in time” - it could be clocks or watches or something like story time or tea time!

I've used an astronomical map as well as a traditional clock on my card - light years count, right?

I played with the circular Gel Press Petite here, pulling text from an old book page then adding a subtle dotty white layer using an embossing folder to texture the paint on the Gel Press. Background stamping, die cut frames, sequins and a punched star add to the mixed media credentials!

Stamps:
Reach for the Stars and Time to Stamp (both Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Small stars from Merry Cut and Stamp (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol boarp
Premium weight copy paper 
Silver mirror card
Silver glitter card

Ink:
Shadow ink by Hero Arts (Soft Granite)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Gel Press Petites
Acrylic paints
Old book page
Gently Falling embossing folder by Stampin Up
Fine frames dies by Altenew (rectangle and circle)
Star squeeze punch by Fiskars
Sequins
Fineline marker

Thanks for stopping by!

May's elements

It's the first Friday of the month so that means an "elemental" challenge over at Daring Cardmakers. Shabneez has chosen the inpsiration picture for May - as ever, just chose at least three elements to kickstart your project.

I chose dragonfly wings, irridescent blue/green and splashy metallic gold (from the hands bottom left).

All my stamps are older than a year so I'm playing along at Retro Rubber as well where it's currently "anything goes"!

Stamps:
Poppies (Crafty Secrets, no longer with us. Set is dated 2010)
Splat That and sentiment from Big Day Today (both Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us. Sets dated 2013)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black, Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Copic markers
Copic Spic glitter pen (turquoise)
Flitter Glu by Indigo Blu
Mega Flake by Indigo Blu (Chariot of Fire)
Corner Chomper
Scor It

Here's the picture if you didn't come via DCM and would like to play along:

Thanks for stopping by!

Link in the chain: April

Time for the reveal of another Card Chain Challenge.

This month my card has gone to Hilary so it didn't have too far to travel. From the month's options I went for the colours (coffe, cream, platimun) and one of the themes (umbrella).

I couldn't find my platinum ink pad so in the end I mixed a dab of silver acrylic paint with some of the Latte ink to introduce a brownish note that seemed more on the platimun end of the scale for the umbrella canopy.

The central panel was masked with low tack tape and a very light application of Latte came close to a cream colour (I used a big fluffy cosmetics brush to apply the ink). The clouds are stamped with the latte at full strength, spread with a damp brush and some white paint pen added along the tops. The grasses are stamped in Espresso and I added some lowlights with a brown fineline marker and some hightlights with a white paint pen, Birds are just drawn in, my artistic ability is limted but I can just about manage a curved V to represent a distant bird!

Stamps:
Grasses (Inkylicious)
Believe in Unicorns (Visible Image)
Sentiment from Wildflowers (Crafty Secrets, no longer with us)

Paper:
Watercolour
Black

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Latte, Espresso)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Brown fineline marker
White paint pen by Posca
Low tack tape
Umbrella man die cut (Tim Holtz Alterations/Sizzix)
Acrylic paint

Thanks for stopping by!

Up, up and away

Miri has set today's challenge over at Daring Cardmakers  - she'd like us to take off with lots of balloons this week!

I have a clean and simple scrapling to offer - who gets the movie reference?!

Miri may have been thinking  about "99 Red Balloons" but I was thinking about "Up". Ellie may only be in the first 10 minutes or so but she's the beating heart of the film so this is a wee homage to her as well as Carl. Just remember:

"Adventure is out there!"

I set out to make a single layer card by cutting a stencil (die cut circle with freehand bobbly bit for the knot) and inking inside the aperture. I then dropped several things in the white space - sigh! So I cut out the inky balloon with scissors and added it to a scrapling base with a doodled string and a word selectively inked from a longer sentiment.

Supplies:
Spellbinder circles dies
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide (Carved Pumpkin)
Tim Holtz Distress ink (Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door)
Versafine (Onyx Black)
Sentiment from Essential Messages (Hero Arts)
Funeline marker
Corner Chomper 

Thanks for stopping by!